The Trouble with the Badges
by Major Grai
Summary: Lily and James accidentally reveal that they have been sneaking around when they accidentally switch badges and their friends won't let them live it down. Inspired by snapslikesthis's headcannon, which I saw on tumblr (link in the story).


Author's note: I saw someone's headcannon of this on tumblr, which can be found: post/77855923067/snapslikethis-headcanon-that-james-and-lily. So inspiration=/=mine. Also disclaimed. Please review and enjoy!

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Badges came off when shirts became untucked and hair became unruly (or more unruly in James's case). The badges fell to floor softly as the dust rose higher in an abandoned and overly silent section of the library at lunchtime.

The aisle mainly held ancient and complex volumes about the care for magical creatures and Mesopotamian witches and wizards and their civilization. James figured this aisle was perfect seeing as those who took care for magical creatures at OWL level had a class just before lunch that day and were frequently kept over. Lily didn't question his knowledge of this. She had chosen the aisle because from the looks of the dust they would be the only ones to step inside it within the last two years. The levels of dust only rose higher after Lily pushed James unceremoniously into the bookshelves, sliding her hands up his shirt as she did so.

He chuckled and mumbled, "A bit over-eager there are we?"

"Shut up and do something a bit productive with your mouth, will you Potter?" she mumbled before moving her mouth to his.

He was only happy to oblige. Their hands slid over familiar and occasionally unfamiliar places of the other's body and they forgot time through their enjoyment of the little quiet and the other's company.

"Transfiguration!" Lily said suddenly, recalling an assignment that was due. One of the reasons she'd been so keen to go to the library; she'd finished it so she deserved a treat.

"Hm?" James said a little breathlessly, taken from his happy place rather unceremoniously.

"What's the time?" she demanded.

"You say the sweetest things," he grumbled, but checked his wrist watch all the same. "Time for us to go to Transfiguration. About five minutes ago," he added his eyebrows raised.

She swore and said, "No time to leave separately."

"We can say we were having a meeting," James said blithely. "Of the minds and flesh. Ow! It was only a joke."

"Let's go, then."

"Wait, badges!"

She groaned, "Hurry," before grabbing his hand and one of the badges without checking which.

They strode out of the library together and she reluctantly let go of his hand and they both ran to their classroom. They spewed out apologies and excuses to Professor McGonagall before finding their seats. She waved them off, telling them a page number, before saying, "I hope there was a good excuse and it will be limited in the future."

Lily nodded, blushing slightly, while James said, "Well I wouldn't be too hasty.

"Potter!" Lily hissed at him from across the aisle of desks.

She was turning a healthy shade of pink and it was only about to get worse.

Lily sat next Donna who was overly absorbed in her lesson. James sat next to Sirius who was overly absorbed in making trouble for Remus who sat in the row in front of them. James paid loose attention to Sirius and Remus, Professor McGonagall and Lily, his eyes flipping between the four of them every few minutes. He smiled contentedly.

"Will you stop?" Remus turned around, hissing and scowling at Sirius. His eyes caught, rather by accident, James's badge. Or rather Lily's badge. "Oh," he mumbled.

"What?" James and Sirius asked at once.

"Black!" McGonagall exploded from the front of the classroom.

"I'll tell you later," Remus muttered to Sirius before turning around.

"Can I trouble you for your full attention. I'm sure Mr. Lupin would like to learn with out the harassment of feathers and wind."

"Yes, Professor," Sirius said innocently, tucking one of the aforementioned feathers up his sleeve.

"Same goes for you Potter."

"Me?"

"Yes, you Mr. Potter. It would be nice you have your full attention especially seeing as we lacked your presence in the beginning of the class. Ms. Evans isn't going anywhere."

Lily's blush, which had went away as she handed her full attention to McGonagall, returned in full force. Donna glanced at her, but it took her a moment to notice the badge pinned to her friend's chest was not the right one.

"Yes, Professor, I was only double checking," James said easily, wishing he wasn't about to blush. Sirius distracted by mumbling something about McGonagall being more needy than Lily and promptly received detention.

Remus's eyebrows nit together and he leaned over look at Lily.

"Mr. Lupin!"

"Sorry, Professor," he said quickly straightening in his seat and because he was the only one who sounded sincere it was let go.

But no one let go of the badges.

As soon as class was over Remus turned asked James with a straight face, "Did you have a productive meeting? You're all switched around."

"Yes. Very productive. I'll brief you at the next prefects meeting," James lied easily.

"Ah, excellent. There will be no mix ups?" he asked mildly. They began to exit the classroom, heading for a cramped hallway. Remus walked slowly wanting to milk the moments for as much as he could. He'd suspected. Here was his proof.

"Mix-ups?"

"In the schedule. I would hate to be secluded, in isolation because someone snuck off with ulterior motives."

"Er… right," James said. His eyes swiveled between his friend and Lily. He'd forgotten to tell her something. "I'll catch you later," he said before sliding amongst other people.

"Wait till he gets to her and then we attack," Remus said to Sirius before he could open his mouth.

"What? What are you on about?"

"The badges! Didn't you see the badges?"

"Those things? Bah! Those are the bane of my existence-"

Remus didn't have time for that speech, "They were wearing each other's badges," he cut in.

"What?"

"And did you see their hair?"

"Yeah, but-"

"Hers was messier than his."

"You're saying that-"

"We can have so much fun with this," Remus said, with a smile so big and happiness so thick he actually clapped his hands. "Don't lose sight of them."

Sirius stopped walking. Remus was excited, but Sirius felt worried. What did this mean for their friendship now that James had a serious girlfriend? And it was Lily bloody Evans, of course it was serious.

"Sirius, hurry up!" Remus said, brushing past a group of third years.

Further ahead in the hallway, before James caught up with Lily, Donna asked her, after updating her on what she missed during Transfiguration she asked, "Lily, why does your badge say James on it? Wait!"

Lily froze and looked down at her chest. Not only was her badge upside down, probably what Donna had noticed during class, but it also said James Potter and Headboy.

An excuse, quick think of an excuse!

"Oh, well, they were a bit dirty and we-"

Donna didn't let her finish, the blush itself was enough to incriminate her.

"Oi! Marlene, you'll never believe this!"

"Donna, I swear to Merlin!" Lily said, threateningly.

James arrived. "Hey," he said and Donna sniggered loudly.

She was joined by Marlene and there was a lot of pointing, giggling and gasping.

"What's-" he began.

"No way!" Sirius shouted. He spotted it this time.

Lily quickly switched their badges, which was what made James realize. She didn't even try to do it covertly, the damage was done.

"Did they do the frickle frackle?" Remus asked gleefully.

"Yes, Remus, I believe they did the do," Sirius said, putting on his best impression of the wisdom of Albus Dumbledore.

"Shut it, Black!" James grumbled, hunching his shoulders.

The torment came on both sides, before Lily called for a retreat. She grabbed James's hand and ran for it. The cackling followed them all the way down the hallway.

"Where are you going?" Marlene called.

"The nearest broom cupboard is that way!" Sirius howled.

"What's going on?" Peter asked as he came up beside them.

"James and Lily-" Remus began.

"Are fooling around," Donna cut him off.

The two groups of friends stood in front of him grinning maniacally, all planning their own torment for their own friend. They expected Peter manage a reaction akin to theirs.

"Well… yes," was all he managed in an entirely unsurprised tone.

"What do you mean, 'Well, yes'?" Marlene demanded.

"Aren't you excited about this?" Remus asked. "Think of everything we can do to them! Why aren't you surprised?"

"Well," Peter said, simply, a blush to rival Lily's creeping into his cheeks. "I guess I was a bit surprised when I found out last week."

"You knew? Why didn't you say anything? A hint? A pun? Why didn't you write to the Daily Prophet?" Sirius demanded.

"Well, Lily asked me not to?"

"What?" Marlene demanded. "What happened? Why did you agree to that?"

"Oh… er…" The colour in his cheeks only got worse.

Sirius stepped forward in the most mock- serious he could manage and put his hands on his friend's shoulders.

"What did you see, my child?" he asked quietly.

"Oh, er, I didn't see anything…"

"Remus, as a Gryffindor prefect order him to fess up!" Sirius said, turning to his other friend.

"I can do that," Donna said. "Peter-"

"She put foot up my leg a bit during dinner the other week, while I was sitting next to James and they were winking a whole lot during dinner. She realized it was me after a minute and made me swear not to say anything when James was gone."

A silence pounded around the group, as the hallways were finally thinning out. They were late for their next class, which didn't sit right with Donna or Remus.

"And you agreed?" Sirius roared. "This is gold, pure gold, better than unicorns and you- you-" he couldn't quite verbally express his disappointment.

Professor McGonagall could. She'd heard Sirius shouting.

"You lot!" she snapped. "Get to class!"

They didn't need telling twice, Sirius called as they scattered in a business-like tone, "Right, meeting just before dinner in the common room about how to torment them. I want you all present, and I want you, Peter to tell me everything that has happened since then. And the dinner, not I don't care what class you have or how mortifying it is. It will be worse for them! Oh, he'll never live it down."


End file.
